Services Offered in Hospice
by Preeya D'Mello
Hospice Care is designed to be supportive and focus on comfort and quality of life. The goal is to allow individuals to have an alert, pain-free life and live each day as fully as possible. Typical services provided by hospice include:
- Basic medical care with a focus on pain and symptom control
- Doctor, nursing, home health aide and homemaker services
- Emotional, social and spiritual counseling
- Physical, occupational and/or speech therapy
- Dietary counseling
- Medical supplies and equipment as needed
Hospice at Home vs. Hospice in a Facility
Hospice care is provided in a setting that best meets the needs of each patient and family. The most common setting is the patient’s home. Hospice care is also provided in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and hospitals according to patient care needs. There are generally four types of hospice care:
- Routine home care is the most common hospice service and is delivered in the patient’s home
- Continuous home care is far more intensive than routine home care and involves continuous care to manage a patient’s acute symptoms
- General inpatient care is typically for treating symptoms that cannot be managed through home care and can be provided in a hospital, long-term care residence like a nursing home, or in a free-standing hospice.
- Respite care is short-term inpatient care that is intended to be for the benefit of family caregivers when a break is needed